Read it and weep future billionaires of america

[kentonio]

Didn't some country/city at least try that thing of driving on alternate days? I seem to remember something about it.

[Kuciwalker]

Nope, I object to that being the sole measure of how people are allowed to live, and believe that some things need to artificially controlled to prevent people being unable to change their circumstances due to the wealth of their parents or general upbringing.

i.e. you object to wealth being 100% determined by how much money you have. It's impossible for wealth to not be the "sole measure of how people are allowed to live", because wealth is the ability to live as you want.

I don't have any problem at all with the rich being the only ones who can afford to fly off to exotic resorts to stay in expensive hotels, but I do have an issue with them being the only ones who can afford to drive on the roads at home. As with most things, its a matter of degrees.

In a world where exotic resorts, expensive hotels, and other luxury goods were the only scarce resources and we had unlimited quantities of every other good, that is indeed what would happen. However, even basic resources like food, clothing, housing, and gasoline are scarce. They have to be allocated somehow. There isn't enough for everyone to have as much as they want. In the case of gasoline, this goes doubly so if we want to prevent global warming: there isn't enough for everyone to have as much as they "need" given their current lifestyles. Someone will have to go without.

[kentonio]

In the case of gasoline, this goes doubly so if we want to prevent global warming: there isn't enough for everyone to have as much as they "need" given their current lifestyles. Someone will have to go without.

We can change over to less/none oil intensive methods of transport and energy production and should be doing this much more than we are, but just pricing the poor out the market isn't an acceptable solution to me.

[Kuciwalker]

If oil becomes expensive enough that 65% of people can't afford to drive cars, I guarantee you that private firms will be eager to come up with an alternative energy solutions. There would be an enormous market.

[kentonio]

I'm actually quite encouraged by the appearance all over the place here of electric car charging points.

[Dauphin]

I agree. From an environmental point of view I'd be even more encouraged if the UK had a cleaner electricity grid and the production of batteries was less energy intensive.

From a personal cost/benefit I would happily drive an electric car if its price, performance and refueling options were comparable to petrol or diesel.

[kentonio]

Completely with you on all that. I would love nothing more than the UK to go 70-80% nuclear with the rest being make up of renewables (or whatever combination works).